Mercer at Chattanooga
Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021
Chattanooga, Tenn. – McKenzie Arena
Postgame Quotes
 
Lamont Paris, Head Coach
Overall thoughts after comeback win over Mercer.
"We thought the guys fought. They kept fighting and getting some things done when we needed to. I thought it was important to get their lead down to a manageable number because it's hard to have a tough belief to win when you go down a lot at half. We got it back quickly in the second half to where it comes down to who plays better. We made enough plays down the stretch, so I was happy with what they did."
 
On the guy's efforts.
"I feel like if nothing else, these guys really believe in their ability to stay the course and keep chopping wood. They do. And that's first and foremost based on their ability to score points. They will never lose confidence that they'll be able to make something happen if we put some stops together. Most teams have 15, 16 guys at their disposable and I think it says a lot about them playing with this few. We have guys playing different positions, guys playing more minutes probably than what they are ready to play on a consistent basis. They're a stubborn group in the best way. They're a coachable group. It was a really resilient effort tonight."
 
On the debut of Darius Banks in a UTC uniform.
"He's a good communicator on the defensive end, he's a physical presence. You can tell he hasn't played in games in a while, on the edges they'll be a little rust. He's a physical presence for us out there. He can be a good rebounder, too. Some of the things I hear in the huddle from him, he's been around. He'll say some of the words you need to hear, and he'll put it in our terminology. I get paid to say those type of things and the guys know that. When they players say it, then it has more teeth to it. That's another thing he brings, it's his maturity."
 
On converting from the free throw line.
"It's an important thing. They're a physical, aggressive team defensively. We attacked and I thought that was one thing we did well in particular late in the game. It put them in position to foul us and as those numbers built up, we got to the line and knocked them down. We needed every single of them."

Darius Banks, Sr.-G
On first game in a UTC uniform.
"I just did my role and played with my teammates, helping them as much as I can. I just tried to give myself easy under the basket to get me going. It took a little while, but I was still fine."
 
On what drove the decision to suit up.
"It's being with the guys, practicing with them, working with them, and just being there for them and knowing I should be out there battling with them. I know they needed some help at the guard and big man situation, and with my skill set I can do both. I felt like I needed to be out there."
 
On team's resilience and toughness.
"I feel like we can comeback at any time as long as we put our mind to it and play as a team. We need to play as one and our only goal is to win a game like we did tonight. It's satisfying, but we don't want to be down 19 anymore. We want to be on the other side and get a W that way."
 
On moving forward.
"It's just conference play. You have to move on to the next game, the next team, the next scout. We'll get back to it with the same mentality to get a W."
 
Stefan Kenic, Sr.-F
On tough defensive assignments against a strong Mercer team.
"It was hard to play almost the whole game against 12 strong guys trying to post up all the time. I had to fight with them, wrestle with them on the post to not let them receive the ball in the post. I had to defend a lot of ball screens. It was tough to guard the two big men that they have."
 
On what worked well tonight individually on the offensive end.
"I think they struggled because I'm a skill player and I like to go one-on-one. And with their size, I was able to attack and get fouled while making the open shots I was able to get."
 
On the team's post play.
"We're working every day on our post game. At one point, it has to pay off and today it paid off. We did some good stuff down there."

On the team's ability to fight.
"I think it's an amazing win because we were down 19 and to be able to come back and win, it means you didn't give up. That's exactly what happened. We looked at the score and said to keep playing. We went to the locker room and had a talk with the coaches, and we came out and showed what we can do. That's why I'm always proud of these guys. We never give up and we won the game."
 
On Darius Banks returning to the active roster and what he brings to the team.
"We're excited for him to finally play with us. He brings strength as a guard, his explosiveness, he's amazing in one-on-one situations. He's a guy who can penetrate all the way to the rim and kick it out. He's a good rebounder, too. We're excited for him to play with us."